Former NFL player will compete in Rio Olympics for St. Lucia

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ESPN – Former Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best is set to become the first former NFL player to participate in the summer Olympic Games after being approved to represent St. Lucia in track and field next month in Rio.

Best will run in the 100 meters for St. Lucia, a Caribbean island with an estimated population of just over 163,000. Best was born in Vallejo, California, but his father holds dual citizenship in St. Lucia and the United States.

“This is a huge accomplishment for me, but at the same time this is just the beginning,” Best told NBC Sports. “I have only been in this sport for two years professionally, and plan on being around for a long time.”

According to NBCSports.com, Best will become the first former NFL player to compete in the Summer Games.

Marquise Goodwin competed for the U.S. in the 2012 Olympic long jump, but that was before he started his career as a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills. Goodwin didn’t qualify for the Olympic squad for Rio.

He joins Jeanelle Scheper (high jump), Levern Spencer (high jump) and Stephanie Devaux-Lovella (sailing) on the short list of athletes for St. Lucia, which has never won an Olympic medal.

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Great for St.lucia, more Looshans in the diaspora should follow Best's example.Stlucia has a much larger population these numbers are old .Stlucia's population is over 200,000 now.Just google or check the World Bank website, IMF etc.We salute you Looshan.

Ras Joe, maybe I should backtrack a bit. I'm not sure what you mean by our system. If by system you mean a planned and deliberate method of attracting athletes to the sport, identifying talent, nurturing, training, supporting and providing opportunities for competition, then we do not have a system in track and field in St. Lucia.

It's not just a matter of resources. I know we don't have the resources of the U.S. You mentioned Kirani James. You would know also that Grenada has had several other outstanding athletes who have performed well on the world stage, but didn't win an Olympic Gold medal. Alleyne Francique is one. They've also done well traditionally in the javelin event. That is indicative of a system, they are continuously churning out good javelin throwers.

We don't have that. We have two world class high jumpers. When Lavern retires, whom do we have to replace her other than Jeanelle? Who is waiting in the wings? Things happen in our "system" more by accident than by design. Ask former and current track athletes what they think about our "system".

Contrary to popular belief - "Knowledge is acquired". It can be acquired through your deliberate efforts or by "reflex" because of your 5 senses.
You cannot just assume to know anything about anything if you have not taken time to know it. Reading and listening helps with increasing your knowledge whereas talking just shows off what you already know or what you do not know.
Avoid making yourself look stupid when you are expressing arrogant opinions with very little knowledge on the subject that you are attempting to share your "wisdom" on.
Take more time to learn and less time to lecture!!
Ignorance in itself is not terrible as ignorance is just a lack of knowledge. It's your continual inclination to hang on to this "lack of knowledge" when you can inform yourself, that is the problem.

Lol, lol I really appreciate the back and forth on this topic. Seems to me we have a good debate at hand. However, the only comment that I don't appreciate that much is the "our system" thing. Because as it stands now our system is a hospital smack down in the stadium. Lol.

I wish the same level of scrutiny that's being given to the athletes would be given to the officials accompanying the athletes. The athletes have to meet standards, what qualifies the coaches and Chef De Mission? Yeah, let's examine that!

HB...... That,s the big deal? We are too gullible. If he had a remote chance of representing the US with his talent, he would have chosen them. He knows with his speed and time the only way he can book a ticket to RIO is by dumping himself of us The gentleman could not represent St Lucia at the games held in the BVI about a week or 2 ago because he was not eligible. We have youngsters who have done similar times here and have not been considered
Take St Vincent for example. Courtney Williams have never run the qualifying times but have been selected to represent his country at World Champs both indoors and outdoor and Olympics many times. He is the product of the Vincy system . This same Courtney Williams have been beaten by both Jonathan Celestin, corniel Lionel . The last 2 I mentioned came thru our system and yet they have never been given a chance to represent us in the sprint

Didn't Jahvid have to qualify like everyone else? I remember a report saying he was going to tryout. Has either of the two men you mentioned, Celestin and Lionel, competed against him during the tryouts and beat him? I'm asking these questions because I'm expecting St. Lucia to put their best product out there, not just their highest profile name. That being said, we are where we are, and good luck to Jahvid and the rest of the team, I will continue to support our athletes 100%!!

You know nothing of the young man and his family. We have represented St. Lucia in Soccer Stan Best, Cricket, Martin Weeks, Tennis Laurence Best and the great Vernon Lewis, David Lewis Basketball, Stop hating, coming out of High School the young man was the fastest kid in the whole state of California but went to the NFL to pursue his dream. He is a celebrity in California and doing this for the love of the land of his father. What have you or your family done for sports in St. Lucia. could hate but could a never underrate. qwaun with this backward thinking. Who else had the qualifying time for the hundred, Why don't you try the 10.1 needed to qualify.

HB...... That,s the big deal? We are too gullible. If he had a remote chance of representing the US with his talent, he would have chosen them. He knows with his speed and time the only way he can book a ticket to RIO is by dumping himself of us The gentleman could not represent St Lucia at the games held in the BVI about a week or 2 ago because he was not eligible. We have youngsters who have done similar times here and have not been considered
Take St Vincent for example. Courtney Williams have never run the qualifying times but have been selected to represent his country at World Champs both indoors and outdoor and Olympics many times. He is the product of the Vincy system . This same Courtney Williams have been beaten by both Jonathan Celestin, corniel Lionel . The last 2 I mentioned came thru our system and yet they have never been given a chance in the sprint

Examine the facts. Jahvid has always been proud of his heritage. From the day he came to St. Lucia as a boy. From every time the family got together and gave jokes about the land of our birth did he even get prouder of his heritage. Our family has contributed to sports in St.Lucia from the 60's up to this day in soccer, tennis, basketball, and karate all at the national level. You guys talk but don't know the facts. St. Lucians should be proud to have such a honorable young man to represent them.

Ras Joe....what system are you referring to? The big deal is that a young man of Saint Lucian parentage has not only done very well in the U.S as an NFL player but has now qualified for the Rio 2016 olympics and will be representing Saint Lucia. That's the bid deal

His point is we have athletes who can represent us just the same. When you are an American citizen your loyalty is to them first therefore if he was able to represent the US he wouldn't represent us. We are just a free ride to the Rio olympics. Representing us is the only way he could of make it there.

I am confused as to which athletes here can represent us just the same. Which other athletes ran the qualifying time and are not being sent to the Olympics. Which ones? That's the thing with sports, especially track and field. Based on performance, times, distances and heights. Now other than the two high jumpers, which other track and field athletes had the qualifying times, distances and heights? That's what I thought, NONE.

You can say that again, it is becoming far too easy for non nationals and ex-pats to represent us at the highest level. I dont think these individuals give a hoot about St. Lucia but are only doing it for persaonal advancement . They are all like Juffali. what's in it for them.

Lol.... Jufalli promised a diabetes research center this guy promises Olympic gold. Both just as likely. His dad may be proud to see him with the slu flag I wonder how would he feel, not to mention the average man on the street.
Non the less I wish him the best.

There we go again! Former and deceased ex-PM of Barbados was born in England. Barbados made him PM. He married a Saint Lucian. She was elected and replaced the constituency the represented.
The current PM of Saint Lucia is reportedly born in Martinique. Grand children of Barbadian parents are automatically citizens, if they want the designation. What's wrong with us?

At least they were or are extremely talented individuals. The gentleman ran 100m in 10.16 sec with a tail wind of almost 2m per second. Since then he unable to run less than 10.3sec. He will be lucky if he can make it out of his heat

10.16 is the qualifying time. The man has run faster than any St.Lucia athlete past or present. Would you rather have no athlete representing St.Lucia in the sprints? The guy has so much more than running to offer to the country but you will only see the small picture

Something tells me you've never run 10.1 with any amount of wind behind you, neither have you competed at the Olympics. Had you done either, you would think differently. Athletes representing countries other than their country of birth is nothing new. Check the number of American athletes who competed for Britain in the last Olympics and who will be representing them at this Olympics. Check the number of Kenyans who represent the US and other countries.

Jahvid may not make the next round. Only 16 make it to semis and 8 to finals from all the athletes around the world! If he doesn't make the next round he won't be the only one.

Check out the coverage this has received on NBC. The SLHTA and the Ministry of Tourism couldn't pay for that coverage.

The guy was a professional football player. You think he cannot pay for a ticket to Rio if he wanted? I'm not sure why this guy bothered. Typical crab mentality.

Really? The system allowed Zepherinus to go to the Olympics? If it was for the "system" in St. Lucia, Zepherinus would not have gone anywhere. This same "system" is the reason why the majority of track and field athletes in St. Lucia don't go anywhere. If the "system" is sooooo great, where are the senior athletes? Those past secondary schools? Why are there senior races with 2 and 3 competitors? Our system? Please! Keep fooling yourself.

Yes Anon ... It is the system which recognized Zeph. With our limited resources you should not expect our system to be on par with that of the USA.
We do not have the Jamaican talent, history and culture so you should not expect our system to be similar to theirs
We do not have a phenom like Kirani James to use as an example. We only have Lavern Spencer who participate in a non glamour event and is unable to attract sponsors because she less glamorous herself.

You should not blame the system when senior athletes who cannot make the grade decide to move on. This happen all over the world. Take Jamaica for example. Sprinters like Dexter Lee, Jahzeel Murphy, Ramon Mackenzie and Odeen Skeen dominated at high School and carifita games. You hardly hear about them now. Even at the carifta games you get events without the full quota of participants. You should blame our system or the system.

Stop talking "bull", please do more research on Jahvid Best. It's Sad that St.Lucians think so low. No wonder we stay at the same position without advancing ourselves. For the record....the young man can pay his ticket, yours and your entire family to Rio.... He loves St.Lucia....the Good that will come out of this....you have no idea... People and places who never knew of St.Lucia are now aware that there is even a country called St.Lucia......

If he was a drug lord...guess you would big him up right???

Jahvid is just as much Lucian as you are...... Go Jahvid.....Go Jahvid... "let the haters motivate you....while they are stuck in their dead beat jobs and life...you will advance...